Since the development of the modern forklift in the early part of the twentieth century, the wooden pallet has been relied upon as an efficient means of handling and transporting bulk goods and freight. The wooden pallet is particularly desirable due to its relatively low cost to manufacture as well as the abundance and renewability of wood. According to the U.S. Forest Service, there are approximately two billion wooden pallets currently in circulation throughout the United States.
While the relative durability of wood makes it a desirable material for pallets, it is subject to deterioration and destruction over a period of time. For example, individual boards forming the pallet may rot if continuously exposed to moisture or may be broken during handling. Accordingly, there is a continuous need for new pallets to replace destroyed or expended pallets and fill a growing market demand.
Although wood is a readily available resource, there are a number of factors driving a desire to maximize recovery of pallets, as opposed to continuously manufacturing new pallets. For example, wood used in pallets is typically treated with a preservative chemical in order to minimize decomposition. While effective in extending the life of the pallet, the preservative chemical is toxic, making disposal of pallets harmful to the environment. In addition, despite the renewable nature of wood, the sheer volume of pallets used in the United States has further driven the desire to recover as many pallets as possible in order to minimize cost and consumption.
Pallets vary in make, size, and construction. Because of the inconsistency in size and construction of pallets, pallet recovery has historically been a substantially manual process, requiring individuals to dismantle expended pallets using various hand tools in order to salvage useable components. This is generally an inefficient and physically demanding process requiring each board of a pallet to be removed individually. Attempts to automate pallet disassembly have been minimally successful. Many systems lack an ability to accommodate manufacturing inconsistencies among pallets.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for an automated system and method for dismantling pallets, wherein the system is capable of detecting and accommodating manufacturing inconsistencies among pallets.